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24th out of 155 books
—
44 voters
Doctor Who: The Clockwise Man (Doctor Who: New Series Adventures #1)
In 1920s London the Doctor and Rose find themselves caught up in the hunt for a mysterious murderer. But not everything is what it seems. Secrets lie behind locked doors and inhuman killers roam the streets.
Who is the Painted Lady and why is she so interested in the Doctor? How can a cat return from the dead? Can anyone be trusted to tell - or even to know - the truth?
With...more
Who is the Painted Lady and why is she so interested in the Doctor? How can a cat return from the dead? Can anyone be trusted to tell - or even to know - the truth?
With...more
Hardcover, 256 pages
Published
August 24th 2005
by BBC Books
(first published 2005)
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On the way to the London's 1924 British Empire Exhibition, Rose Tyler in flimsy green dress and Doctor Who #9 in his brown leather jacket lose the TARDIS time-travel box, and interrupt a strangulation attack on servant Dickson, being interrogated about the evening meeting of conspirators: "Anna" Anastasia, her son Freddie ~10 the last Romanov, kind stepfather Sir George Harding, Repple ousted righful Elector of Dastaria, Major Aske his psychiatrist or jailer - we are not sure of truth at first,...more
As I've posted about on my journal earlier, the Ninth Doctor, Christopher Eccleston, completely sold me on being a Doctor Who fan at last. And as I have also lamented, Mr. Eccleston held the role for entirely too little time. So I was rather interested when I was browsing at the University Bookstore the other day and found out that the BBC has been releasing hardback Ninth and Tenth Doctor novels. I picked up the first one, The Clockwise Man, by Justin Richards. Disappointing read, unfortunately...more
3 likes · like · see review
view all 10 comments
I don't tend to hold very high expectations for novels based on televisions shows, yet somehow I can't stop myself from picking them up. This one was not the worst and not the best. From what I understand, the books were commissioned before any of the new series episodes were aired, and the authors were given only some basic information on the characters. Therefore, there are times when the Doctor and Rose seem to act out of character for themselves.
I enjoyed many of the new characters, particu...more
I enjoyed many of the new characters, particu...more
Jul 01, 2012
Todd
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Doctor Who fans
Shelves:
sci-fi,
doctor-who
This is my first time
ever
to have read a novelization of either a TV show or a movie. But, being such a fan of the revamped Doctor Who series and having finished several outstanding novels lately, I was ready to try it for some lighter reading. Aside from some eBook formatting/editing issues (line breaks weren't adequately used in my ePub edition...one line would be about the Doctor doing something, and the very next would begin a totally different scene without any kind of editing/spacing to...more
Aug 29, 2012
Hiram Lester
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
doctor-who-new-series-adventures
Shortly after the new Doctor Who series launched in 2005, BBC Books launched a series of original books featuring the Ninth Doctor and Rose Tyler as portrayed on television by Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper. These books have commonly come to be known as the New Series Adventures. These books were launched 3 at a time with the first three being The Clockwise Man,
The Monsters Inside
, and
Winner Takes All
.
In The Clockwise Man by Justin Richards, the Doctor and Rose land at the British Em...more
In The Clockwise Man by Justin Richards, the Doctor and Rose land at the British Em...more
While Doctor Who was off the air, for may years, both Virgin and BBC books produced ranges of ongoing novels following the character of the Doctor onwards from where he was last seen in screen. Given that the core audience were no longer children, but those who had been when it was on TV, the novels became increasingly sophisticated and mature. I really enjoyed those monthly releases, and was curious about the new range of books that were launched in line with the reinvention of the series in 20...more
Wow! I really enjoyed The Clockwise Man. Even if you weren't a Doctor Who fan, I think you could enjoy this. It's like a supernatural mystery, mixed with plenty of action and adventure.
I relished in the fact that I knew the Doctor and Rose and didn't have to worry about reading about boorish main characters. I wasn't sure starting out if they'd live up the live-action versions, but I was satisfied. Justin Richards did a rather good job at bringing Rose and the Doctor to life in book form. Howev...more
I relished in the fact that I knew the Doctor and Rose and didn't have to worry about reading about boorish main characters. I wasn't sure starting out if they'd live up the live-action versions, but I was satisfied. Justin Richards did a rather good job at bringing Rose and the Doctor to life in book form. Howev...more
I'm not the most well-traveled Doctor Who fan. I just started watching the new ninth Doctor series a little while ago, and have yet to make it through the tenth. I really love what I have seen, and since there are online retailers practically giving these tie-in books away, I figured it couldn't hurt to pick up a few.
The Clockwise Man is not a bad book. I was a little disappointed in the length and the cutesy small dimensions of the hardback, but at least it seems like some work is put into the...more
The Clockwise Man is not a bad book. I was a little disappointed in the length and the cutesy small dimensions of the hardback, but at least it seems like some work is put into the...more
This novel was the first Doctor Who novel i’ve ever read and with hindsight i probably shouldn’t have simply started from no.1 and gone on from there. It wasn’t terrible, but neither was it that good. I think choosing to write about a subject-matter that’s already been portrayed in the TV series anyway was probably seen as a safe bet but in my opinion just doesn’t work. It was like re-reading a book after a short space of time, and just didn’t hold my attention as well as i’d hoped it might.
Havi...more
Havi...more
Rose and the Doctor land in 1924 London to attend the British Empire Exhibition. As usual, they find someone in trouble and that trouble leads to aliens: this time the mysterious Painted Lady and mechanical cats and men. The TARDIS disappears, servants are murdered and a sweet little boy helps save the day.
At times you can hear the ninth doctor's voice, but at other times you wonder who this man is. The climax at the end with Big Ben was fun. But, on the whole, entertaining and somewhat clever,...more
At times you can hear the ninth doctor's voice, but at other times you wonder who this man is. The climax at the end with Big Ben was fun. But, on the whole, entertaining and somewhat clever,...more
1 like · like · see review
If you're looking for more insight into how the Doctor and Rose felt or thought about each other at this early stage in their relationship, you're going to have to stick to fanfic. If you want MOAR NINE (as I did, cuz 13 episodes was NOT enough), you may be disappointed. This book is all plot and no characterization. It's not as exciting, emotionally poignant or funny as the tv show, but if you want a good "aliens and robots in interwar London" romp, it will provide. I looked forward to reading...more
The first of the tie-in novels issued for New Who, and as such featuring Nine (Chris Eccleston) and Rose, who have landed in 1920s London and promptly get tangled up with not one but two deposed heirs to a throne. One is a young boy with haemophilia; the other appears to be the prince of some small east European country. And there are assassins on the loose -- assassins who are accompanied by the sound of clockwork. Add in a woman who always goes masked and who recognises the sonic screwdriver a...more
The Doctor and Rose arrive in 1920s London and plan to attend the British Empire Exhibition but when they get to London the TARDIS is stolen. Rose and the Doctor investigate a strange sound which happens to be an attack on the servant Dickson. They rescue Dickson but they find themselves caught up in a murder mystery with inhuman killers. Soon a mysterious masked woman appears who calls herself the Painted Lady. The Painted Lady is very interested in the Doctor and she also has some strange comp...more
The second series with Matt Smith as the eleventh doctor has been going on for a few weeks, and while I"m really into it and really want to see where it goes. Only one episode a week is a little slow for my taste. So I rewatched everything from 2005 until now, and I'm still not satisfied. However, the originals are a little too cheesy and full of cringe inducing special effects from a girl that grew up on the ever increasing abilities of CGI. So I picked up the first of the New Series Adventures...more
Doctor Who is a very established series in the UK. I was lucky to discover it when I was on maternity leave with my first daughter. I haven't seen any of the old series so my experience with the Doctor is with doctors nine, ten and now eleven - and I'm so hooked! I'm so impressed with how they are able to switch doctors and still keep the interest going and people keep tuning in - and let the doctors be so diferent, although still the same. Lots of interesting discussions about personal identity...more
Oct 21, 2007
Nicholas Whyte
added it
http://nhw.livejournal.com/761346.html[return][return]This is the first of the Doctor Who adventures to be published following the series' revival in 2005. It has the Ninth Doctor and Rose visiting London in 1924, encountering clockwork robots reminiscent of those that the Tenth Doctor meets in "The Girl in the Fireplace", having adventures around Big Ben not awfully dissimilar from "The Empty Child". At first I thought it was going to be about an anti-communist revolution in a small eastern Eur...more
I really really wanted to enjoy this one because it's Doctor Who and it was the Clockwork Men IN Victorian England.
Unfortunately the narrator did a horrible job, and so I would completely phase out while working that I really have no idea what happened in the middle of the book.
I never knew who was talking because all the voices sounded exactly the same.
What I was able to pay attention to, the story was quite good.
Perhaps someday I'll reread it, with actual reading not listening.
Unfortunately the narrator did a horrible job, and so I would completely phase out while working that I really have no idea what happened in the middle of the book.
I never knew who was talking because all the voices sounded exactly the same.
What I was able to pay attention to, the story was quite good.
Perhaps someday I'll reread it, with actual reading not listening.
This was a very fun, quick read. I just recently got into Doctor Who with this Series I / Eighth Doctor and Rose thanks to Netflix streaming. I decided to check out the books to see what they were like and was pleasantly surprised at this book, since I have read crappy adaptation tie-in novels in the past. The author had a good handle on the "voice" of The Doctor and Rose. The story itself was very interesting and engaging. I look forward to other books in the series to be nearly as good.
I enjoyed this book, the author got the characters of The Doctor in his 9th regeneration and Rose pretty spot on. The Doctor more so i think. Some aspects of it reminded me of "The girl in the fireplace"
As the 9th regeneration was my favorite so far i am glad i can get some more stories by reading the new series novels as well as add them to my Doctor Who collection of books from the old series.
Very entertaining and i liked the character of Repple, although Freddie was a little far fetched in...more
As the 9th regeneration was my favorite so far i am glad i can get some more stories by reading the new series novels as well as add them to my Doctor Who collection of books from the old series.
Very entertaining and i liked the character of Repple, although Freddie was a little far fetched in...more
It was good. I went into it wanting a little more 9th Doctor and a little more Rose Tyler and that's what I got. Bonus points for awesome clockwork cats.
Sure, the writing wasn't as long-winded and descriptive, but I didn't expect it to be an award-winning novel. It's a novel as a follow-up to a TV series that you already like.
Wikipedia has promised me more character development in future novels, so readin' on.
Sure, the writing wasn't as long-winded and descriptive, but I didn't expect it to be an award-winning novel. It's a novel as a follow-up to a TV series that you already like.
Wikipedia has promised me more character development in future novels, so readin' on.
Jan 28, 2008
Joni
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Children/young teenagers/any Doctor Who fans!
Recommended to Joni by:
A friend.
Shelves:
fantasy-scifi
As a stand-alone book, poor. As a companion to television Dr. Who, pretty good. I mean, you don't expect something like this to be a bestselling medal-award-winning novel, do you? So I think reviewers that say it's basically a waste of time, though not in so many words, are being a bit harsh, because it was good at what it was supposed to do - entertain people who are already fans of the show.
It was a moderately exciting mystery, which keeps you guessing, but not in an annoying way, you know wh...more
It was a moderately exciting mystery, which keeps you guessing, but not in an annoying way, you know wh...more
The Doctor and Rose take a trip to 1920s london, and end up stuck there and entangled in a mystery, when someone steals the tardis.
The story was really well thought out, very good as a mystery/whodunnit style that makes me want to read more detective novels!
I love the clockwork elements; the clockwork have been my favourite throughout the new doctor who series, it's almost steampunky.
I thought the characters were pretty well written, contrary to other reviews on this book, I really could see it...more
The story was really well thought out, very good as a mystery/whodunnit style that makes me want to read more detective novels!
I love the clockwork elements; the clockwork have been my favourite throughout the new doctor who series, it's almost steampunky.
I thought the characters were pretty well written, contrary to other reviews on this book, I really could see it...more
For the first novel of the New Series it isn't awful. I quite enjoyed it actually. My biggest complaint is with the Doctor. He's still very new, both as the Ninth regeneration and as the first Doctor of the revived show, so his blankness can be forgiven . . . sort of. This can't excuse the complete lack of personality that Richards gives him. I found the minor characters far more interesting. Despite this, it was a fun little romp and felt very much in line with the action packed revival.
Another foray into the novels of Doctor Who, and this time with less than pleasant results. This book was just... bad. The characters of The Doctor and Rose were just way off, in my mind. No way would Rose ever, EVER smash a cat into a wall by the tail, especially if she didn't know it wasn't real already. And the Doctor himself was just way less respectful of other life-beings than he really would be. The man who just discovered, to his dismay, that he wasn't real and was actually mechanical, a...more
I tend to steer clear of any DW books featuring Rose as the companion since I'm not a fan of hers. However, since this is one out of two Doctor Who books that I've seen at my little local library, I had to pick it up if only to continue to encourage them to buy DW books. I did like it though and would recommend it to other fans of the series.
Ca ne partait pas forcément bien pour moi, la première partie étant très branchée politicomachin Russie post révolution papati patata, ce qui à vue de nez n'est pas ma tasse de thé. Mais par la suite ça décole, ça twiste dans tous les sens, et on se régale. On est ému, même. Si si.
Et c'était amusant de retrouver la Rose du tout début - il faut se rappeler que Rose à l'époque avait des éclairs de génie de temps en temps, mais sorti de ça c'était pas toujours une flèche. Et armée d'un don naturel...more
Et c'était amusant de retrouver la Rose du tout début - il faut se rappeler que Rose à l'époque avait des éclairs de génie de temps en temps, mais sorti de ça c'était pas toujours une flèche. Et armée d'un don naturel...more
Since this was a novel based on a Tv show, I didn't have high expectations. All in all, though, it was an enjoyable, quick read. Definitely played out like a Doctor Who episode. Although, since this was written before the series began, the Doctor and Rose do come off as out of character at times which can be annoying but understandable. Even still, I would read another book in the series.
Listened to this as an audiobook read by Nicholas Briggs who did a great job of capturing 9's voice and character quirks. It has been frustrating not having Eccleston read any of these, but Briggs does a solid job.
Overall I like this, probably should give it 3 stars for the story, but as I said, it is nice having 9 back if only for a bit.
Overall I like this, probably should give it 3 stars for the story, but as I said, it is nice having 9 back if only for a bit.
A very atmospheric read. Doctor Who does Steampunk in the 1920s. Clockwork men are terrorising servants. (This is not like the Moffat story) Somebody has stolen the Tardis, and the Doctor is taking Rose to an exhibition. It was a page turner, and there are some really good ideas here. Great action sequences too. A great read.
This one did not flow with the usual panache of the Doctor Who universe. The "clockwork" explanation seemed rather feeble to me, and put a bit of a damper on the rest of the story. However, if you manage to ignore those bits (and happen to be a Doctor Who fan), it was a gripping story in the end.
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| Doctor Who Book Club: **MAIN DISCUSSION** The Clockwise Man | 4 | 6 | Jan 05, 2013 05:48am |
Justin Richards is a British writer. He has written many spin off novels based on the BBC science fiction television series Doctor Who, and he is Creative Director for the BBC Books range. He has also written for television, contributing to Five's soap opera Family Affairs. He is also the author of a series of crime novels for children about the Invisible Detective, and novels for older children....more
More about Justin Richards...
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